Newsletter of the Adirondack Mountain - Long Island Chapter January & February 2004 2003-2004 Executive Committee The Catskills Rediscovered President By Lyn Dobrin Dick Maemone 516-496-9127 Reprinted with author’s permission from AAA Car and Travel Vice President Tom Farre631-427-4795 Treasurer In the film Dirty Dancing, set at a Catskill resort in 1960s, owner Max Kellerman Bud Kazdan 631-549-5015 Secretary turns to his bandleader, saying, "It all seems to be ending. You think kids want to come Nancy Hodson 516-692-5754 with their parents to take fox trot lessons? Trips to Europe, that¹s what the kids want. It Director Carol McHugh 718-423-4083 seems like it¹s all slipping away." It did slip away but now, with people vacationing closer Alternate Director to home, the highly accessible Catskill region is being rediscovered. Martha McDermott 631-581- 4574 The Catskill Mountains are approximately 100 miles northwest of New York City. They include four counties (Delaware, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster) and more than 6,000 Board of Directors Christine Gillen 516-67-3542 square miles of mountains, forests, rivers and farmlands, offering activities and attractions Micheline Kagan 718-746-4753 to suit many interest: nature and outdoor adventure, history and art, spiritual renewal and Susin Packert 631-952-6715 Jim Purdy 631-754-6989 family fun. Patricia Tauber 516 248-1236 Fauna and Flora Yoshiko Takeshita 631-751- 0301 Take the Catskill Game Farm, 70 years old, and still a treat. This is a different kind of zoo that specializes in animals such as donkeys, zebra, deer and sheep if it¹s got Committee Chairs Conservation hooves, they probably have one. There are some lions people expect to see them when June Fait 516 897 5306 they go to a zoo but the real stars are creatures like the black bottomed Barbados sheep, Education Jerry Licht 516 797 5729 the delicate Barasingha deer from India (where, it is believed there are no more than 6,000 Hospitality remaining in the wild), and a dubious distinction but true nonetheless-- the largest herd of Arlene Scholer 516 354 0231 Mountaineer Poitou ass in the country. The game farm displays animals that cannot be seen anywhere Micheline Kagan 718 746 4753 else in the U.S. such as the gayal, a species of ox found in the highland regions of east Membership Yoshiko Takeshita 631 751 India and Burma. We were especially interested to see and learn about the Takh or 0301 Przewalski horse from Mongolia, the oldest breed of horse left in the world. After Outings Sheila Lipshi 516 349 7910 spending time with the fauna, a visit to view local flora is in order at The Mountaintop Programs Arboretum in Tannersville. The Arboretum was created in 1977 by Dr and Mrs. E.H. Jeanne Millspaugh 526 674 4897 Ahrens, Jr., who turned seven acres of their property into a public garden. There is no Publicity admission charge and the gates are not locked. Arlene Scholer 516 354 0231 Publicity Flyers Susin Packert 631 952 6713 Trail Conference Judy Snyder 516 826 5261 Trail Maintenance Herb Coles 516 897 5305 WebSite Mike Vetrano [email protected] Continued on page 10 -1- PRESIDENT’S CORNER Over the course of my years with the Chapter, I’ve struggled with the hills of Cold Spring Harbor, strolled “Bragging Rights” Camuset State park, dipped my footsies in the surf at the by Dick Maemone Sunken Forest and roamed the rolling dunes of Montauk. I’ve climbed the 3500, explored the Adirondacks and Whites and went from a 34 inch waist to a 42 and part of the way Some of our members might well give me an back again. I’ve gone through periods when I did little to “inferiority complex”, if I let’em! help out the Chapter. Then I began to lead hikes on regular These guys and gals are constantly outdoing my basis, I volunteered to man the Chapter table on Club day at best hiking efforts – the show offs! Their achievements are EMS, I did a program on “Hike Leader / Participant Rights maddening: Catskill 3500’s, Adirondack 46’ers, New and Responsibilities”, I somehow wound up as a Chapter Hampshire 4000 footers, North East 111 and on, and on… Director, then VP, and, by “accident”, President. As if and on … paralleling my own life, my involvement with the Chapter And what about all those special trips to the far has had its “ups and downs”. I’d like to think that there have reaches of the U.S. and abroad? Some of our folks have been more ups than downs, but who knows! summited Mt. Raineer, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and even How about you? Will you earn some “bragging achieved the lofty height of the Everest base camp. Others rights” of your own or will you simply develop an “inferiority have completed the Long Trail in Vermont, the Long Path in complex” relative to the efforts of our over achieving New York and the Appalachian Trail from Springer members? Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Just writing about these achievements is wearing me out. Why not do a “moon-walk” of the Catskill 3500 Welcome New Members to the peaks, why don’t ya??? Or better yet, try the proposed new Long Island Chapter “Catskill Challenge”. That is, climb every 3500 peak in every month of the year for a total of 420 climbs. While I admire and commend the efforts of our Richard Arseneau, Deer Park more “gung ho” members, I find myself compelled to say a Bill & Mary Bauer, Dix Hills word or two about our own “silent majority”, the somewhat Doug Bicknese , Lattingtown corpulent, the borderline lazy and the less than fully John Boschi, Melville motivated segment of our Chapter. We have “bragging Janet Closs , Bayport rights” TOO!!! Tami & Kevin Cook, Manhasset We stroll Long Island’s many parks and hiking Michael Costanzo, Howard Beach areas. We hike, bike, kayak/canoe, or simply enjoy the Joseph DeMerit , Bronx great outdoors and the camaraderie of our fellow members. Frank DiSalvo, Fort Salonga On occasion, we even get out to a trail maintenance or two. Charles Elioseff, Long Beach I guess what I’m saying is that you don’t have to Dawn Goodwin, Deer Park climb the highest mountain or ride the most treacherous Denise Harrington, Huntington rapids to be an active member of the Long Island Chapter Barbara Keipert, Babylon of ADK. You just have to get out there once in a while and Carroll Kelly, East Islip “just do it”. Joel & Alisa Lehman,N. Woodmere Being an active member also involves helping out Carolyn Lettieri, Westbury your Chapter. Here again, some of our members might well Christine Lieder, Central Islip give me an “inferiority complex”, if I let’em! You know the *Rebecca Lowry, Flushing ones I mean. They’re ALWAYS doing something for the Michelle Neider & Kevin McCaffrey, Sea Cliff Chapter. These over achievers make my own efforts Deborah Pesa, Bellerose appear feeble. What about us “don’t do anything much for Karl Rasmussen, Farmingville the Chapter” guys and gals. We do “do something” once in Mark Raskin, New Paltz a while! We have “bragging rights” TOO!!! Neal & Joanne Rebholz, Bethpage You don’t have to be one of the “over achievers” to Elizabeth Saum, Lake Ronkonkoma contribute to your Chapter. Your donation of time and effort Mary & Tom Sweeney, Moriches can be as simple as bringing a guest to a meeting or as Kurt & Kathleen Tietjen, Floral Park demanding as running an outing to a far away and rugged Mary Tighe , Greenlawn destination. Certainly, there are many opportunities to make Michelle & Mark Temares, Garden City a contribution to your Chapter, which fall “in between”. The Car & Adrienne Ungar, Shirley thing is, you have to take a step forward, and “just do it”. Keith VanSise , Northport Michael T. Vaughan & Keelin Murphy, Stony Brook Jonathan Vestal, Islip Terrace Victor & Barbara Wurtzel, Levittown * Affiliate member -2- PEOPLE AND PERSPECTIVES education chair, and Sheila Lipshie is the outings chair. Susin -Arlene Scholer- Packert helps me by producing publicity flyers and Pauline Lavery posts meeting announcements in Newsday. Judy Snyder INTERESTED IN USING THIS SPACE YOURSELF? IT CAN Adams must travel to NJ since she serves as our rep to the NY/NJ BE YOURS FOR THE MARCH AND APRIL ’04 ISSUE. Trail Conference. Many of these volunteers and officers have also Whether you want to be a guest columnist and write a PEOPLE and donated time and talents as hike leaders. Consult the outings PERSPECTIVES column or use the space for a topic that interests schedule of every newsletter for the names of so many able and you, please contact the newsletter editor, Micheline Kagan: knowledgeable leaders. These are some of the names of the many [email protected] ASAP. The article’s deadline will be at the talented people who work together like well-oiled gears to keep the end of January. chapter vibrant and growing for its members. LI HIKING ENTHUSIASTS TAKE NOTE! The interest in INVALUABLE ASSETS ARE ADK-LI VOLUNTEERS : hiking and biking on LI is growing so you’ll be seeing more hike EMS: Susan Stricker and George Form have volunteered leaders featuring closer-to-home destinations. Maybe we’ll even be to represent ADK-LI at the Smithhaven and Carle Place stores on uncovering totally new destinations. I saw quiet, almost rural-like club days in the spring and fall. Their donations of time and effort back roads and beaches when Yoshiko Takeshita led a biking trip are greatly appreciated.